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Monday, 10 September 2012

Crosby Garrett Helmet to be part of Royal Academy exhibition

A Roman cavalry helmet bought for £2.2m at auction
after it was discovered in a Cumbrian field is to go on public display for the
first time.

The Crosby
Garrett Helmet, named after the village near where it was found, is to feature
as part of a Royal Academy show called Bronze.

A private
collector outbid a Carlisle museum at the auction in 2010.

Bronze
co-curator David Ekserdjian said the helmet, which is almost 2,000 years old,
was a "masterpiece".

He said:
"Even if this helmet had been known about for as long as anybody can
remember, we'd still want it in the show because it's a fantastic work of art.

"But the
fact that it came out of the ground in 2010 doesn't fail to add to its interest
and appeal.

"This is a
masterpiece that we didn't know about until recently and that's absolutely
thrilling. That combination of quality and novelty is a win-win."

Mr Ekserdjian
added: "It's stunning. It's one of the stars of the show, one of the
phenomenal pieces and seeing it with all the other pieces just confirms its
greatness."

Other
highlights at Bronze include the severed head of King Seuthes III, excavated in
Bulgaria eight years ago and never seen in Britain before, and the 14th Century
BC bronze and gold Chariot Of The Sun from Denmark.

Bronze runs at
the Royal Academy Of Arts from 15 September to 9 December.